New Wave of Pressure Upon Reporters

Reporters in Terrassa have formally protested against the seizure of images and in favour of free information.

Two television networks in Terrassa refused to give away images to regional police [Mossos d’Esquadra]covering the recent demonstration against the eviction of the squatted social centre "Les oblidades" in the city. For this reason regional police have started legal procedures to obtain the images by court order.

In front of this situation the workers of both networks have signed a manifesto titeled ‘A mistaken idea by the Mossos d’Esquadra’. The delegation of the Journalist Trade Union of the city has also written another one.

Town Council Aids Torture Practices

After several scandals in the town of Torrevella (Baix Segura), where a series of formal Complaints for police maltreatment captivated media attention; the town council is still employing all the agents implicated.

Anti-repressive organisation Alerta Solidària, had denounced the slow pace of Torrevella town Council in taking strong decisions against those involved (and often charged) in torture, as it creates enough settings for impunity and therefore the continuation of torture practices.

According to the United Nations, and other bodies such as Coordinadora per la Prevenció de la Tortura [www.prevenciontortura.org], one of the issues that must be prioritized to put an end to this situation, is the immediate removal of any person investigated for tortures.

Alerta Solidària also condemns the complicity of the public administrations with torture as the Spanish State MPs do not respond positively when asked to take action.

Anti-Repressive Organisations Express Solidarity

On December 4ht a youth from Terrassa had to appear in court charged with assaulting authorities for having participated in the September 29th demonstration under the slogan: Repression won’t clip our wings off!

Several anti-repressive collectives and organisations organised to denounce the violation of basic human rights by regional police against social movements during several public demonstrations.

Police agents surround the crowd, so it becomes a kidnap as protesters can’t move, they can’t get in our out of the spot, they don’t let protesters to inform passers by, it creates moments of tension and charges…Therefore basic rights such as free speech, free circulation and movement, right to protest, not mentioning police’s provocation and aggressions to protesters.

The youth was arrested as he and others made their way home from the protest. A solidarity protest was called outside court.

Women’s Health Protest

The Women’s Health Net protest against the last arrests taken place in clinics where abortions were carried out

Mass media have created these last days a social alarm regarding the arrest of several medical staff in clinics of Barcelona were voluntary interruptions of abortion are carried out , criminalising professionals and women alike.

The existent law on abortion, as the feminist movement has been condemning, doesn’t guarantee women’s rights to decide or for professionals to practice.

For this reason they believe it’s important to reclaim the total non- penalization of abortion and to vindicate the right to decide as well as to denounce the sensationalism of the right wing and some media against women’s decision.

From the Women’s Health Net, formed by more than 22 associations of feminist women who struggle to better Health within gender perspective, they manifested their position on the insufficiency and limitations of the present abortion law which has converted a women’s right into an obstacle race because of:

- The requirements needed

- The difficulties added by the fact that such service it’s not available within many public services (only a 3%)

- The lack of political willingness which has maintained the present law

- Permitting that the conscious objection by groups of professionals has passed from being a reclaimed individual right, into a collective action, so preventing all professionals of a same centre practicing.

The women’s net explain that all this has meant that the majority of women who’ll request an abortion will end up doing so in private clinics and taking up all the costs.

Therefore these last arrests are believed to be a new attack against the right of women’s to abort and the clinics that practice it.

They claim that difficulties not only come from the law itself. For the difficult and unequal access which exists within the Catalan territory to information on reproductive and sexual health, the historical insufficient action taken, which they believe has not been properly corrected, towards vulnerable groups, the difficulty to carry on with unwanted pregnancies, which might have been welcomed within other social and economical conditions, it creates a bizarre situation for many women and which it must be corrected.